My police department just received a US government owned M16A1. To me, it appears to be of very early manufacture.

The lower receiver is marked "Colt", "AR15" and just below that it is marked "M16". It appears to me to be parkerized. It has no forward assist or mag-release fence. It has a triangle foregrip and an early pistol grip. Also, the bolt carrier appears to be chrome-plated. I suspect the flash hider to be a replacement; it is not the early, three pronged version.

Anyone care to ballpark a manufacturing date?

Constructor

04-05-2011 19:02

Early Air Force M16s did not have a FA.
Around 67 they started using barrels with chrome bores.
They were M16A1.
SWAG-67+ Air Force

Panzergrenadier1979

04-05-2011 22:13

Thank you very much!

I will send a pic of it when I figure out how to download my camera pics onto my computer.